Behind Those Eyes of Yours AkuRoku
by Satoshi Hiiroya
Summary: Hating the one you're meant to love. This ought to be interesting.


Behind those eyes of yours - AkuRoku

"_There will be times you need to let things out, to confine in someone. I can assure you, I won't always be here for you to do that. Perhaps, you should try making a friend or two."_

That was the last piece of advice I can remember receiving from Mr. Ansem Wise. I don't know if it had been because of the ongoing medication I had been prescribed since then or just the fact that I had forgotten everything else from our little conferences, but that one memory remained impeccably intact. Since then, the small amount of friends I actually managed to make had all gone off to college, leaving me stuck with Naminé as her free personal model. It's not like I minded though. Besides, Naminé was one of the few people who willingly stayed by my side to this day. She was a small petite girl with dull, flaxen hair and skin just as pale as the white smock she always wore. Nothing actually seemed to stand out about her excluding her deep, blue, oceanic eyes, much like my own if it weren't for the hues of azure that discolored them.

Naminé… She was a person I had a lot to thank for, really.

Actually, if I remember correctly, it was in fact Naminé who had introduced me to that loud-mouthed, pompous, 'I-bet-I-can-out-drink-you-any-day', snobbish, flame-headed guitarist nine eventful months ago when Naminé decided I needed someone besides her to hang out with.

Month 1

As mornings would customarily start, Sora, my happy-go-lucky brother, came in and glowered down on me. I always supposed it was to see how awake I was since after seconds of pretend sleep, he'd merely retreat back down the hall, the slightest pitter-pattering of his feet making me more roused than him entering my bedroom. My eyes peered open gradually like two marble doors that weighed a ton each. Unenthusiastically, they shifted blearily over to the blinds which, to my never ending luck, had been opened the night previous. Much like a vampire, I sputtered out some kind of hissing noise and cocooned my small physique under my hordes of blankets soon to return to my morning slumber.

It wasn't long until I was awakened yet again, though this time by a different disturbance.

**Childhood living is easy to do**

**The things you wanted I brought them for you**

**Graceless lady you know who I am**

**You know I can't let you slide through my hands**

**Wild horses, they couldn't drag me away**

**Wild, wild horses couldn't drag me away**

My voice trailed the music subconsciously until the small little ditty began to repeat itself for about the 6th time. It wasn't 'til then did I recognize it had been my phone ringing. Well I like the oldies, so what? Sue me.

Sluggishly, my arm slipped underneath my heated pillow, I always appeared to keep things reasonably warm, 'hot' most would say. It skimmed from one edge of the head rest to the under and back again up until my fingertips brushed alongside the now vibrating mobile. It wasn't like I was in a haste to see who it was from like some overly rapturous teenager; I knew all too well who it was.

**Notifications: **

**1 missed call: Naminé**

**2 text messages: Naminé **

Talk about predictable.

My eyes thoroughly examined the message which had to be read once or twice before the words essentially began to make sense and my grogginess wore off. Luckily, Naminé wasn't like most girls her age, her age being 18 by the way. Her messages were always spelled correctly and believe it or not, she used actual grammar as if she was writing some intricate letter to a school board or something.

I dragged myself away from away from the warm luxury my coverlets provided and felt a shiver trail up from my tail bone, past my spine, the back of my open neck and progressively worked its way onto my face. My eye visibly twitched in irritation to the sudden coldness that surrounded my ankles and damp torso. It seemed that in accordance to the blinds being unsheathed, someone had also opened my window. That someone, most likely being Sora, overly concerned about me over heating due to my blanket fort I was huddled into. But, come on, it was the middle of December in Lancaster, California and let me tell you; the weather conditions can get rough.

"SORA!" My voice stretched its way down the hall and thankfully, reached its destination. By the time I got my window shut and locked I faintly heard my name being returned as his delicate footsteps could be heard closing in toward my room. I turned around to my tanned look-a-like as my hands gingerly picked the small blond strands of hair that were sticking to my damp forehead. Sora was a bit darker than I was, though that was probably because of how much time he spent in Los Angeles this summer, though it gets hotter here than it does there; I'd always stay indoors. Our hair was also different. While my blond hair spiked evenly and effortlessly, his forever chaotic tresses were a rich, chocolate color which seemed to be just messy enough to be accepted by normal society.

My brother tilted his head as I tapped my foot impatiently, waiting for him to admit his wrong doing. That was one thing you had to make my brother endure, figuring things out in a minute or less or else you'll have yourself in an array of shit courtesy of yours truly.

After a minute or so of staring at Sora's oblivious expression, my eyes hastily hinted toward the window and watched in succession as my brother's clueless appearance formed into slight guilt. He knew how much I hated the cold. "Well… Ro—"

"Well?"

"Let me explain."

"Get to it."

"I had turned the heater on last night and soon after went to check in on y-"

"Playing mother hen", I mumbled coldheartedly.

"I was just checking to see if it was too hot in there!"

"AND? You don't need to act like my caretaker anymore!" I was reaching my limit. Why I was so pissed? Who knows. I was insane.

"I-I ... Roooooxasss… "

Oh, how I loathed his whining. We were both nineteen, Sora soon to be going on twenty and he still whines like he did when we were both suckling off our mother. Of course, who could blame him really? He, even though I was the baby, was always the most spoiled sibling. Sora, who could just barely do intermediate math, took over the family business as soon as my father retired. Sora this. Sora that. It was always about SORA, SORA, SORA.

Favoritism, neglect, hate?

Oh yeah, it could fuck a kid up.

I dismissed him out of my room, gesturing my hands in a shooing motion so he would hurry out the door. Naminé's message had said to be at her studio at two o'clock and 1:30pm was already nestling in on the clock. I had no idea why she could have wanted me there on such short notice, nor did I care enough to really ask. All I knew was that she was excited.

By the time I was prepared Sora was gone which left me and my eldest brother, Cloud, alone in the living room. Cloud happened to look exactly as I did, only older and fit. Hell, I would be fit too if half my life wasn't spent in the mental ward. After my father had retired and Sora took over the business last year, Cloud began to distance himself. Not just from dad, but from everyone. Oh, how the awkward atmosphere started to seethe though the air and spread like a wildfire. There was no figuring out my brother, honestly, at most times I was scared to even speak to him. Much like me, he had a habit of lashing out at completely random times. Luckily, I didn't have time to just dawdle around and think of a way to talk to him, so I simply called out to him from across the room. "Hey, Cloud! I'm headed out… Could I have the k-"

Sharp as ever; Cloud tossed me the keys to his car and continued to keep his face hidden by some paperback book he must've been reading earlier.

"Thanks!" I called out before making my way out to the parking space his beat up blue 2003 Toyota Echo occupied. Why a guy like him had that kind of car was beyond me, though my best friend through high school, Hayner, always used to give me suggestive looks about it. What happens in my brother's love life is definitely NOT something I'm dying to know about.

Before I was out on the road, I sent a text to Naminé alerting her that I'd be there in 15 minutes. That is, if I were to break all traffic violations there is on the way there, which, where I happened to live, was highly possible. Having Sora as a brother did have its perks. One of them being, living in the richest part of the damn city where police rarely had to visit.

It was unlike me to feel anxious, it was also unlike Naminé to be so eager for me to come over; great idea or not. Maybe I was more curious than anything.

I stumbled my way in, knocking over a few unused canvases on the way. Funny, that would have had her running toward me any other day, scolding me on being so 'gauchely' as she so liked to say. As I gathered up the mess from the white tiled floor in my hand, I began to hear voices echoing about the seemingly empty studio. One voice was definitely Naminé's, but as I began to sneak closer with the white cloth boards in hand, I began to hear yet another voice, a man's voice. He had such a sharp tongue and seemed to be talking to the young flaxen quite leisurely, something that was rare with a girl quite like Naminé. It wasn't until I reached the center of the studio did I get a peek at the back of the man's head, my brow raising in curiosity to the man's outlandishly spiked, rubicund hair.

Naminé's attention eventually turned to me, her smile calm as usual and her absolute composure soothing my very soul. She had that effect on everyone; she was like some fallen angel you read about in folklores. This man next to her, however, had to be her complete opposite. He sat with his legs crossed, the foot he had planted on the ground recklessly pushing his chair back and forth in a rocking motion like kids in middle school would do before busting their rear ends. I have no idea what it was about him, but I could already tell I hated him.

"Hello, Roxas", Naminé stood from where she was and walked over to my side only to usher me to this much taller man, who upon seeing rose a brow and produced a smirk that I could've just ripped off of his face. My head immediately hung low since, well, I was never one to make eye contact with strangers though I had managed to study his bizarre features from the corner of my eye. He had emerald, cat like eyes with thin border of dark eyeliner surrounding them. Under each eye there was a small upturned triangle which seemed to be stupidly placed tattoos. Ah, but the one thing that had to stand out, even more than that lanky body of his, was that untamed mess of red hair.

"Um… Roxas?" The small blonde swayed her slender hand in front of me to catch my attention with a bouncy little grin on her face. When did I zone out exactly? I lifted my head while my hands fumbled with the few canvases that had fallen earlier, gaining me a cheshire cat grin from the red-head. I glared at him which only just made that stupid smirk of his grow three times in size. "Come on, now. Hand those over," Naminé frowned toward me as she took the art materials from my less than trustworthy hands followed by a small nudge from her hip to my leg. I mouthed a small 'What?' and she simply rolled her eyes, that 'you're-so-hopeless' look followed soon afterwards. "Why don't you introduce yourself, Roxas?" She asked of me as she went away to put the empty canvases in the shelves stocked full of the others like it.

My hand ingenuously extended out toward him as my brows furrowed inward, my eyes trying desperately to keep themselves on something other than his distinguishing markings.

"My name is Roxas Lefèvre."

"Beh-le what?" He snorted out a laugh and I quickly retracted my arm to fold it and the other tightly across my chest.

"Lefèvre," I corrected immediately while my foot habitually began to tap impatiently for the small artists' return.

"Alright then, Lumière." I grunted at his attempt to poke fun at my surname. I've heard all the French jokes and phrases for years now, from 'Oui, oui, oui 'to 'Parlez-vous Français?' which, despite all the jokes, I can. Speak French that is.

"The name's Axel. Axel Kalei." I cocked a brow and opened my mouth to speak, only to be interrupted by Axel once doing so. "Yeah, that's right, Ro.. Ra—_Roxy_. I'm _thee_ Axel Kalei. The-"

"The dumbass guitarist who's been out of commission since his band mates kicked him to the curb? And my name is ROXAS, not Roxy." I hid my clenched fists within the pockets of my black, sleeveless hoodie while my teeth started grinding down on my bottom lip. Axel's face looked genuinely hurt for just a moment, but I saw through his façade the second he started to speak. "Ouch, Roxy," He put a forced amount of emphasis on that goddamn nickname. "That hurt. Though it's always nice to know someone knows about me." I could've decked him then and there, but as soon as the opportunity arose, Naminé came back just in the nick of time. "So…" Naminé started as she looked at us both, though she obviously overlooked my annoyed expression. "Roxas… how do you like your temporary roommate?"

I could've popped a blood vessel. This must've been Naminé's attempt at pranking me… Right?

"What? You're kidding me." I breathed out and cleared my throat once I had noticed I was holding my breath up until that point. Naminé giggled, oblivious to my more than transparent disposition, and bobbed her head from side to side as if some music box had been cranked in her mind. "Isn't it just wonderful? I'm leaving for a few months and so I thought you would want someone to keep you company." My jaw could've just dropped then and there. Everything felt so rushed and manipulated and Axel's attitude wasn't exactly helping me settle into the situation. "Why the hell are you leaving? And how is ..." I shot a dirty look toward the red-head as my hand gestured outward to him, my actions nonresistant despite the innocent look he was trying to pull off. "… THAT going to be any roommate of mine?"

"Roxas, he isn't a 'that', his name is Axel and he'll explain everything to you as soon as he's back from dropping me off at the airport."


End file.
